This invention relates to control systems in coin-operated lockers.
In one of the conventional coin-operated lockers, its rental fee is charged by the day. More specifically, in this coin-operated locker, a coin or coins inserted into the locker by a user for the use of the locker are effective up to 12 o'clock at night that day, and an overtime fee is charged when he opens the locker after the midnight. That is, in this coin-operated locker, the overtime fee charging operation is carried out every midnight.
In another conventional coin-operated locker, a unitary period of time of use of the locker is predetermined for the payment of a unitary amount of money (which is a certain number of coins), and an overtime fee is charged whenever the predetermined unitary period of time passes after the use of the locker has started. That is, in this conventional coin-operated locker, the overtime fee charging operation is conducted whenever the unitary period of time passes.
These conventional coin-operated locker are disadvantageous in that troubles may arise if a user operates the locker so as to open it during the overtime fee charging operation. More specifically, the insertion of a coin during this period may adversely affect the operation of a stepping drive mechanism provided for charging the overtime fee, and the coin may be caught in a coin path or may be taken in by the locker without being counted as the overtime fee.
Furthermore, if, when a user is going to turn a key to open the locker after paying the overtime fee (inserting a coin into the locker), the overtime fee charging operation is carried out and therefore a mechanism for preventing the operation of the key is operated, the operation of the key to open the locker and the operation of the mechanism may take place at the same time. As a result, the lock lever of the lock operated by the key may undesirably catch the mechanism, or the operation of the stepping drive mechanism may be obstructed and at worst broken.